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The format on the ATIS is easy to remember.
You can use the visual mnemonic of your hand/thumb to remember holding pattern entries.
accomplish them out of order. The frequency of men- tal lapses increas- es as the first digit of our age changes from four to five, then from five to six and then to seven. Certainly, by the time the first digit reaches eight and nine, even super pilots in tights and a red cape can expect diminished capac-
ity. In order to help remember a clearance, some pilots like to set the clearance items as they hear them. They have the direct-to page called up on the FMS and select the point but wait to activate it. Or they load the cleared-to altitude in the altitude pre-select window, set a com frequency in the standby box, the squawk code in the transponder, and they write down everything else. I’m a write-it-all-down first, read it back, then enter the data and execute it kind of guy. Not only do I recognize that my tights and cape are retired and my memory capacity has diminished, but it seems that ATC communications contain a higher number of critical items. The paths which we fly and taxi are less tolerant of deviation. Climb and descend via procedures, RVSM, PRM and CAT II/III approaches, land and hold short (LAHSO) and SMGCS low visibility taxi procedures are prime examples. Mnemonics and litanies are not simply crutches; they are useful checklist supplements.
The study and development of systems for improving and assisting memory is called mnemonics.
A study in 1967 by Gerald R. Miller revealed that students using mnemonics increased test scores up to 77 percent – statistically impressive. Here are some common phrases, rhymes and spelling mnemonics: Thirty days has Septem- ber, April, June and November; the alphabet song; In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue; red sky at night, sailors delight; and i before e, except after c. And for remembering the mountains from North to South in the Cascade Range, use BRASH: Baker, Rainier, Adams, Saint Helen and Hood.
July 2022 / TWIN & TURBINE • 25